Japanese era name
The Japanese era calendar scheme is a common calendar scheme used in Japan, which identifies a year by the combination of the and the year number within the era. For example, the year 2006 is Heisei 18, and 2007 is Heisei 19. As elsewhere in East Asia, the use of nengō, also known as , was originally derived from Chinese Imperial practice, although the Japanese system is independent of the Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese era-naming systems. Unlike these other similar systems, Japanese era names are still in use. Government offices usually require era names and years for official papers. Sometimes an era name is expressed with the first letter of the romanized name. For example, S55 means Shōwa 55. At 64 years, Shōwa is the longest era to date. Overview The system on which the Japanese nengō are based originated in China in 140 BCE, and was adopted by Japan in 645 CE, during the reign of Emperor Kōtoku. The first nengō to be assigned was , celebrating the political and organizational changes which were to flow from the great . Although the regular practice of proclaiming successive nengō was interrupted in the late seventh century, it was permanently re-adopted in 701 during the reign of Emperor Mommu (697-707). Since then, era names have been used continuously up through the present day.Brown, Delmer. (1979). Gukanshō, p.32. Historical nengō Prior to the Meiji period, era names were decided by court officials and were subjected to frequent change. A new nengō was usually proclaimed within a year or two after the ascension of a new emperor. Besides changes in imperial reign, a new nengō was also normally designated at two points in each sexagenary cycle (the first and the 58th years), because these years were considered to be auspicious according to the Chinese astrological principles. Era names were also changed due to other felicitous events or natural disasters. In historical practice, the first day of nengō (元年 gannen) starts whenever the emperor chooses; and the first year continues until the next lunar new year, which is understood to be the start of the nengō's second year.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1956). Kyoto: the Old Capital of Japan, 794-1869, p. 321. Hōreki (1751-1761), meaning "Valuable Calendar, is proclaimed retroactively by Emperor Momozono in 1754. Era names indicate the various reasons for their adoption. For instance, the nengō , during the Nara period was declared due to the discovery of copper deposits in Chichibu. Most nengō are comprised of two kanji, except for a short time during the Nara period when four-kanji names were sometimes adopted to follow the Chinese trend. , , and are some famous nengō names that use four characters. Since the Heian period, Confucian thoughts and ideas have been reflected in era names, such as , and . Although there currently exist a total of 247 Japanese era names, only 72 kanji have been used in composing them. Out of these 72 kanji, 30 of them have been used only once, while the rest have been used repeatedly in different combinations. Nengō in modern Japan Mutsuhito assumed the throne in 1867, during the third year of the era. On Sept. 8, 1868, the era name was changed to , and a system was adopted, wherein era names would change only upon imperial succession. This system is similar to the now-defunct Chinese system used since the days of the Ming Dynasty. The Japanese nengō system differs from Chinese practice, in that in the Chinese system the era name was not updated until the year following the emperor's death. In modern practice, the first year of a reign (元年 gannen) starts immediately upon the emperor's ascension to the throne and ends on December 31st. Subsequent years follow the Gregorian calendar. For example, the Meiji era lasted until July 30th, 1912, when the emperor died and the era was proclaimed. 1912 is therefore known as both "Meiji 45" and , although Meiji technically ended on Jul. 30th with Mutsuhito's death. This practice, implemented successfully since the days of Meiji but never formalized, became law in 1979 with the passage of the . Thus, since 1868, there have only been four era names assigned: Meiji, Taishō, Shōwa and Heisei, each corresponding with the rule of only one emperor. Upon death, the emperor is thereafter referred to by the era of his reign. For example, Mutsuhito is posthumously known as . NB: It is protocol in Japan that the reigning emperor should be referred to as Tennō Heika (天皇陛下, "His Majesty the Emperor") or Kinjō Tennō (今上天皇, "current emperor"). To call the current emperor by the current era name, i.e. "Heisei", even in English, is a faux pas, as this is—and will be—his posthumous name. Use of the emperor's given name (i.e., "Akihito") is rare in Japanese. Conversion table from nengō to Gregorian calendar years To convert a Japanese year to a Western or Gregorian calendar year, find the first year of the nengō (the nengō = the era name, see list below). When found, subtract 1, and add the number of the Japanese year. For example, the 23rd year of the Showa Era (Showa 23) would be 1948: :::ILLUSTRATION: 1926 − 1 = 1925 ..., and then 1925 + 23 = 1948 ... or Showa 23. *645 大化 Taika *650 白雉 Hakuchi *654 (Naming of eras temporarily discontinued from 654-686: See "Non-Nengō periods" section below) *686 朱鳥 Shuchō or Suchō or Akamitori *686 (Naming of eras temporarily discontinued from 686-701: See "Non-Nengō periods" section below) *701 大宝 Taihō or Daihō *704 慶雲 Keiun or Kyōun *708 和銅 Wadō *715 霊亀 Reiki *717 養老 Yōrō *724 神亀 Jinki or Shinki *729 天平 Tenpyō or Tenbyō or Tenhei *749 天平感宝 Tenpyō-kanpō or Tenbyō-kanpō *749 天平勝宝 Tenpyō-shōhō or Tenbyō-shōhō or Tenpei-shōhō *757 天平宝字 Tenpyō-hōji or Tenbyō-hōji or Tenpei-hōji *765 天平神護 Tenpyō-jingo or Tenbyō-jingo or Tenhei-jingo *767 神護景雲 Jingo-keiun *770 宝亀 Hōki *781 天応 Ten'ō *782 延暦 Enryaku *806 大同 Daidō *810 弘仁 Kōnin *824 天長 Tenchō *834 承和 Jōwa or Shōwa or Sōwa *848 嘉祥 Kashō or Kajō *851 仁寿 Ninju *854 斉衡 Saikō *857 天安 Ten'an or Tennan *859 貞観 Jōgan *877 元慶 Gangyō or Gankyō or Genkei *885 仁和 Ninna or Ninwa *889 寛平 Kanpyō or Kanpei or Kanbyō or Kanbei or Kanhei *898 昌泰 Shōtai *901 延喜 Engi *923 延長 Enchō *931 承平 Jōhei or Shōhei *938 天慶 Tengyō or Tenkei or Tenkyō *947 天暦 Tenryaku or Tenreki *957 天徳 Tentoku *961 応和 Ōwa *964 康保 Kōhō *968 安和 Anna or Anwa *970 天禄 Tenroku *973 天延 Ten'en *976 貞元 Jōgen or Teigen *978 天元 Tengen *983 永観 Eikan or Yōkan *985 寛和 Kanna or Kanwa *987 永延 Eien or Yōen *988 永祚 Eiso or Yōso *990 正暦 Shōryaku or Jōryaku or Shōreki *995 長徳 Chōtoku *999 長保 Chōhō *1004 寛弘 Kankō *1012 長和 Chōwa *1017 寛仁 Kannin *1021 治安 Jian or Chian *1024 万寿 Manju *1028 長元 Chōgen *1037 長暦 Chōryaku or Chōreki *1040 長久 Chōkyū *1044 寛徳 Kantoku *1046 永承 Eishō or Eijō or Yōjō *1053 天喜 Tengi or Tenki *1058 康平 Kōhei *1065 治暦 Jiryaku or Chiryaku *1069 延久 Enkyū *1074 承保 Jōhō or Shōhō or Shōho *1077 承暦 Jōryaku or Shōryaku or Shōreki *1081 永保 Eihō or Yōhō *1084 応徳 Ōtoku *1087 寛治 Kanji *1094 嘉保 Kahō *1096 永長 Eichō or Yōchō *1097 承徳 Jōtoku or Shōtoku *1099 康和 Kōwa *1104 長治 Chōji *1106 嘉承 Kajō or Kashō or Kasō *1108 天仁 Tennin *1110 天永 Ten'ei or Ten'yō *1113 永久 Eikyū or Yōkyū *1118 元永 Gen'ei *1120 保安 Hōan *1124 天治 Tenji or Tenchi *1126 大治 Daiji or Taiji *1131 天承 Tenshō or Tenjō *1132 長承 Chōshō or Chōjō *1135 保延 Hōen *1141 永治 Eiji *1142 康治 Kōji *1144 天養 Ten'yō or Tennyō *1145 久安 Kyūan *1151 仁平 Ninpei or Ninpyō or Ninbyō or Ninhyō or Ninhei *1154 久寿 Kyūju *1156 保元 Hōgen or Hogen *1159 平治 Heiji or Byōji *1160 永暦 Eiryaku or Yōryaku *1161 応保 Ōhō *1163 長寛 Chōkan or Chōgan *1165 永万 Eiman or Yōman *1166 仁安 Nin'an or Ninnan *1169 嘉応 Kaō *1171 承安 Jōan or Shōan *1175 安元 Angen *1177 治承 Jishō or Jijō or Chishō *1181 養和 Yōwa *1182 寿永 Juei *1184 元暦 Genryaku *1185 文治 Bunji or Monchi *1190 建久 Kenkyū *1199 正治 Shōji *1201 建仁 Kennin *1204 元久 Genkyū *1206 建永 Ken'ei or Ken'yō *1207 承元 Jōgen or Shōgen *1211 建暦 Kenryaku *1213 建保 Kenpō or Kenhō *1219 承久 Jōkyū or Shōkyū *1222 貞応 Jōō or Teiō *1224 元仁 Gennin *1225 嘉禄 Karoku *1227 安貞 Antei or Anjō *1229 寛喜 Kangi or Kanki *1232 貞永 Jōei or Teiei *1233 天福 Tenpuku or Tenfuku *1234 文暦 Bunryaku or Monryaku or Monreki *1235 嘉禎 Katei *1238 暦仁 Ryakunin or Rekinin *1239 延応 En'ō or Ennō *1240 仁治 Ninji or Ninchi *1243 寛元 Kangen *1247 宝治 Hōji *1249 建長 Kenchō *1256 康元 Kōgen *1257 正嘉 Shōka *1259 正元 Shōgen *1260 文応 Bun'ō or Bunnō *1261 弘長 Kōchō *1264 文永 Bun'ei *1275 建治 Kenji *1278 弘安 Kōan *1288 正応 Shōō *1293 永仁 Einin *1299 正安 Shōan *1302 乾元 Kengen *1303 嘉元 Kagen *1306 徳治 Tokuji *1308 延慶 Enkyō or Engyō or Enkei *1311 応長 Ōchō *1312 正和 Shōwa *1317 文保 Bunpō or Bunhō *1319 元応 Gen'ō or Gennō *1321 元亨 Genkō *1324 正中 Shōchū *1326 嘉暦 Karyaku *1329 元徳 Gentoku *1331 元弘 Genkō *1334 建武 Kenmu or Kenbu *Nanboku-chō Southern Court **1336 延元 Engen **1340 興国 Kōkoku **1346 正平 Shōhei **1370 建徳 Kentoku **1372 文中 Bunchū **1375 天授 Tenju **1381 弘和 Kōwa **1384 元中 Genchū (Genchū 9 became Meitoku 3 upon reunification) *Nanboku-chō Northern Court **1332 正慶 Shōkei or Shōkyō **1333 (Northern court not in existence between 1333 and 1336; no era names apply from 1333 to 1338) **1338 暦応 Ryakuō or Rekiō **1342 康永 Kōei **1345 貞和 Jōwa or Teiwa **1350 観応 Kannō or Kan'ō **1352 文和 Bunna or Bunwa **1356 延文 Enbun **1361 康安 Kōan **1362 貞治 Jōji or Teiji **1368 応安 Ōan **1375 永和 Eiwa **1379 康暦 Kōryaku **1381 永徳 Eitoku **1384 至徳 Shitoku **1387 嘉慶 Kakei or Kakyō **1389 康応 Kōō **1390 明徳 Meitoku *Reunification *1394 応永 Ōei *1428 正長 Shōchō *1429 永享 Eikyō or Eikō *1441 嘉吉 Kakitsu or Kakichi *1444 文安 Bun'an or Bunnan *1449 宝徳 Hōtoku *1452 享徳 Kyōtoku *1455 康正 Kōshō *1457 長禄 Chōroku *1460 寛正 Kanshō *1466 文正 Bunshō or Monshō *1467 応仁 Ōnin *1469 文明 Bunmei *1487 長享 Chōkyō *1489 延徳 Entoku *1492 明応 Meiō *1501 文亀 Bunki *1504 永正 Eishō *1521 大永 Daiei *1528 享禄 Kyōroku *1532 天文 Tenbun or Tenmon *1555 弘治 Kōji *1558 永禄 Eiroku *1570 元亀 Genki *1573 天正 Tenshō *1592 文禄 Bunroku *1596 慶長 Keichō or Kyōchō *1615 元和 Genna or Genwa *1624 寛永 Kan'ei *1644 正保 Shōhō *1648 慶安 Keian or Kyōan *1652 承応 Jōō or Shōō *1655 明暦 Meireki or Myōryaku or Meiryaku *1658 万治 Manji *1661 寛文 Kanbun *1673 延宝 Enpō or Enhō *1681 天和 Tenna or Tenwa *1684 貞享 Jōkyō *1688 元禄 Genroku *1704 宝永 Hōei *1711 正徳 Shōtoku *1716 享保 Kyōhō *1736 元文 Genbun *1741 寛保 Kanpō or Kanhō *1744 延享 Enkyō *1748 寛延 Kan'en *1751 宝暦 Hōreki or Hōryaku *1764 明和 Meiwa *1772 安永 An'ei *1781 天明 Tenmei *1789 寛政 Kansei *1801 享和 Kyōwa *1804 文化 Bunka *1818 文政 Bunsei *1830 天保 Tenpō or Tenhō *1844 弘化 Kōka *1848 嘉永 Kaei *1854 安政 Ansei *1860 万延 Man'en *1861 文久 Bunkyū *1864 元治 Genji *1865 慶応 Keiō *1868 明治 Meiji - Emperor Meiji *1912 大正 Taishō - Emperor Taishō *1926 昭和 Shōwa - Emperor Shōwa *1989 平成 Heisei - Akihito, the reigning emperor Non-nengō periods The nengō system that was introduced by Emperor Kōtoku was abandoned after his death; no nengō were designated between 654 and 686 CE. The system was briefly reinstated by Emperor Temmu in 686 CE, but was again abandoned upon his death approximately two months later. In 701 CE, Emperor Mommu once again reinstated the nengō system, and it has continued uninterrupted through today. Although use of the Gregorian calendar for historical dates has become increasingly common in Japan, the traditional Japanese system demands that dates be written in reference to nengō. The apparent problem introduced by the lack of nengō for the two periods above is resolved by referencing years of imperial reign. This is the same approach used when referencing periods that predate the introduction of the nengō system. Although in modern Japan posthumous imperial names correspond with the eras of their reign, this is a relatively recent concept, introduced in practice during the Meiji period and instituted by law in 1979. Therefore, the posthumous names of the emperors and empresses who reigned prior to 1868 may not be taken as era names by themselves. For example, 572 CE—in which Emperor Bidatsu assumed the Chrysanthemum Throne—is properly written as "敏達天皇元年" (Bidatsu-Tennō Gannen, lit. "the first year of Emperor Bidatsu"), and not "敏達元年" (Bidatsu Gannen, lit. "the first year of Bidatsu"), although it may be abbreviated as such.http://www.ndl.go.jp/koyomi/e/ By incorporating both proper era names and posthumous imperial names in this manner, it is possible to extend the nengō system to cover all dates from 660 BCE through today.http://homepage1.nifty.com/gyouseinet/history/nengouichiran.htm The following is an example of such an extension of the nengō system to include the post-Taika years not covered by a proper era name: * Taika era, 645-650 * Hakuchi era, 650–654 * Discontinuation of the nengō system, 654-686 **Reign of Empress Saimei, 655-662 **Reign of Emperor Tenji, 662-672 **Reign of Emperor Kōbun, 672-673 **Reign of Emperor Temmu, 673-686 * Shuchō era, 686 * Discontinuation of the nengō system, 686-701 **Reign of Empress Jitō, 686-697 **Reign of Emperor Mommu, 697-701 * Taihō era, 701-704 Imperial year Kōki (皇紀), or Imperial year, is an epoch used before WW2. Kōki 1 is the year when Emperor Jimmu founded Japan, that is 660 BC. This epoch system was adopted in 1872. In terms of nationalism, Kōki emphasizes the long history of Japan and imperial family because it is a bigger number than Anno Domini. Kōki 2600 (AD 1940) was a special year. 1940 Summer Olympics and Tokyo Expo were planed as anniversary events, but canceled due to Second Sino-Japanese War. After the Second World War, the United States occupied Japan, and stopped the use of Kōki by officials. Today, Kōki is rarely used. Unofficial nengō system In addition to the official nengō system, in which the era names are selected by the imperial court, one also observes—primarily in the ancient documents and epigraphs of shrines and temples—unofficial era names called , also known as or . Currently, there are over 40 confirmed shinengō, mostly seen in Nichūreki(二中歴), a 12th century work. most of them dating from the middle ages. Shinengō used prior to the reestablishment of the nengō system in 701 CE are usually called . A list of shinengō and more information can be seen in the Japanese wikipedia page ja:私年号. Some of the shinengō were proposed to be the Kyūshū nengō(九州年号), a controversial hypothesis of an official era name system used by another kingdom in the Kyushu island in old time. Lists of the proposed Kyūshū nengō can be seen in the Japanese wikipedia pages ja:鶴峯戊申 and ja:九州王朝説. Because official records of shinengō are lacking, the range of dates to which they apply is often unclear. For example, the well-known itsunengō is normally said to refer to 650-654 CE; a poetic synonym for the Hakuchi era. However, alternate interpretations exist. For example, in the Nichūreki, Hakuhō refers to 661-683 CE, and in some middle-age temple documents, Hakuhō refers to 672-685 CE. Thus, shinengō may be used as an alternative way of dating periods for which there is no official era name. Other well-known itsunengō and shinengō include (591-621+ CE), (686 CE), (1489-1492 CE), (1506-1507 CE or 1507-1508 CE) and (1540-1543 CE). The most recent shinengō is (1904-1905 CE), named for the Russo-Japanese war. References * Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979). [ Jien, 1221], Gukanshō (The Future and the Past, a translation and study of the Gukanshō, an interpretative history of Japan written in 1219). Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03460-0 * Daijirin, 2nd edition * Daijisen, 1st edition * Titsingh, Isaac, ed. (1834). Rin-siyo/[[Wikipedia:Hayashi Gahō|Hayashi Gahō], 1652], Nipon o daï itsi ran; ou, Annales des empereurs du Japon, tr. par M. Isaac Titsingh avec l'aide de plusieurs interprètes attachés au comptoir hollandais de Nangasaki; ouvrage re., complété et cor. sur l'original japonais-chinois, accompagné de notes et précédé d'un Aperçu d'histoire mythologique du Japon, par M. J. Klaproth. Paris: Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland.--''Two copies of this rare book have now been made available online: (1) from the library of the University of Michigan, digitized January 30, 2007; and (2) from the library of Stanford University, digitized June 23, 2006.'' Click here to read the original text in French. * Kōjien, 5th edition * Varley, H. Paul , ed. (1980). [ Kitabatake Chikafusa, 1359], Jinnō Shōtōki ("A Chronicle of Gods and Sovereigns: Jinnō Shōtōki of Kitabatake Chikafusa" translated by H. Paul Varley). New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-04940-4 * 二中歴1 第一～第四（尊経閣善本影印集成） ISBN 4-8406-2314-7 * 二中歴2 第五～第十（尊経閣善本影印集成） ISBN 4-8406-2315-5 * 二中歴3 第十一～第十三（尊経閣善本影印集成） ISBN 4-8406-2316-3 * 所功, (1977). 日本の年号　揺れ動く＜元号＞問題の原点. 雄山閣. * 井上清, (1989). 元号制批判 やめよう元号を. 明石書店. ISBN 4-7503-0236-8 See also *Japanese calendar *Jikkan Jūnishi -- (Sexagenary cycle) *Calendar *Era name *Holocene calendar (Jōmon Era) External links *Japanese resources: **allcalendars.net -- convert Gregorian calendar years to Japanese nengō **japan-guide.com -- another converter relating Gregorian calendar years to Japanese nengō and vice versa **http://www.meijijingu.or.jp/intro/qa/13.htm **http://www2.plala.or.jp/kamkamkam/gimon6/gimon66/297.htm **http://www.koubunken.co.jp/Pense/2000/02.html **-- comparative timeline of Chinese, Japanese and Korean historical events *German resources: **nengo_calc-- an easy-to-use online nengō conversion website is maintained as part of the Japanese studies program at the German University of Tübingen *